Aussies to renew simmering rivalry in virtual quarter-final

So joyous were Afghanistan in the moments after their first win over Australia in any format last year, a 6.3 magnitude earthquake felt across the Caribbean went unnoticed by players on the small island of Saint Vincent.

It was emblematic of what Rashid Khan's men had achieved; a momentous occasion, but not one that necessarily sent shockwaves. Afghanistan’s success was no longer a surprise.

Their dramatic win over Bangladesh 48 hours later would knock Australia out of the T20 World Cup.

On Friday evening, they will have the chance of eliminating them from a major event for the second time in eight months when they face off in a virtual quarter-final at the Champions Trophy in Lahore.

In their three previous World Cup meetings, Afghanistan have beaten or come close to beating full-strength Australian teams, culminating in their milestone triumph that shook the Arnos Vale ground last June.

Against the short-handed side Steve Smith is leading in Pakistan, they can hardly be considered underdogs, especially considering how they trumped England this week.

The loser of Group B’s penultimate game will likely be eliminated (pending the result of the England-South Africa match in Karachi) with the winner to face either India or New Zealand in a semi-final.

"It's all on the line, isn't it?" said Afghanistan coach Jonathan Trott.

"Since I've been coach we've played against Australia three times and we've been in the game each of those games, so we should take a lot of confidence from that.

"I think certainly what happened in the T20 World Cup, and I say this to the players as well, that Afghanistan's never going to be taken lightly ever again.

"So we've got to be prepared because I know Australia aren't going to take us lightly.

"Whereas in the past, perhaps people would have seen the fixture and thought it was a little bit easier than playing a historic Test nation.

"But in this format, in these conditions, I don't see that. I see every game that we play is going to be competitive and every game we go into I expect to win."

The simmering Australia-Afghanistan rivalry has been heightened further over recent years due to off-field matters.

Australia have only met them at ICC events because of Cricket Australia’s blanket policy against taking part in bilateral series with Afghanistan since the Taliban seized power in 2021.

Many former Afghanistan women’s national team cricketers are refugees in Australia, unable to play in their home country where human rights for women have deteriorated under the Taliban’s rule.  

There are no restrictions on male Afghan players turning out for KFC BBL clubs, but their presence in the country's flagship domestic T20 tournament has also diminished.

Only one (Hobart Hurricanes' Waqar Salamkhei) took part in the most recent edition. Rashid, arguably the most beloved overseas recruit the tournament has had, has missed the past two iterations after featuring in the previous six.

That Australia’s recent men’s contests with Afghanistan team have all had major bearings on their subsequent tournament fortunes have added another layer of interest.

The 2022 T20 World Cup hosts needed to knock over Afghanistan by a large margin in their final group-stage match at Adelaide Oval. But Australia snuck home by just four runs, Rashid hitting four late sixes in the city he made his name in during previous Big Bash seasons, to be bundled out of semi-final contention.

Afghanistan were even more impressive in their memorable ODI World Cup meeting in Mumbai a year on – at least until Glenn Maxwell came to the crease. Ibrahim Zadran's unbeaten 123 left the Aussies with 292 to get, a seemingly impossible task after they were reduced to 7-91.

Yet, Glenn Maxwell's miracle double-century achieved the impossible, setting Pat Cummins' side on its way to an equally improbable title.

Rashid admitted Maxwell's innings had given him nightmares over the ensuing months. It took last year's revenge triumph in Kingstown – Afghanistan's 21-run win was aided by Australia dropping five catches – to put his mind at ease.

Another victory this week at the Gaddafi Stadium, where Afghanistan supporters are certain to outnumber Australians, would mark another milestone for world cricket's most improved side.

For a team that plays all their games abroad due to Afghanistan’s political instability, playing in a country they share a border with is as close to a ‘home’ game as they come.

"For the players to experience some support, because we normally always play in the UAE and being in Pakistan is really close to where they come from," Trott said after Afghanistan's win over England, the country he played 52 Tests for.

"Hopefully Friday will be a massive sell out and people will turn up or take the day off work and come and watch us from two o'clock onwards.

"These players will never forget nights like this. We've had a few other nights along the way in ICC events and series and that will just add to the confidence that we should hopefully take in on Friday."

2025 ICC Men's Champions Trophy

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Australia's Group B fixtures

February 22: beat England by five wickets (15 balls remaining)

February 25: no result v South Africa

February 28: Afghanistan v Australia, Lahore (8pm AEDT)

March 4: Semi-final 1, Dubai (8pm AEDT)

March 5: Semi-final 2, Lahore (8pm AEDT)

March 9: Final, Lahore or Dubai (8pm AEDT)

Australia squad: Steve Smith (c), Sean Abbott, Alex Carey, Ben Dwarshuis, Nathan Ellis, Jake Fraser-McGurk, Spencer Johnson, Aaron Hardie, Travis Head, Josh Inglis, Marnus Labuschagne, Glenn Maxwell, Tanveer Sangha, Matt Short, Adam Zampa. Travelling reserve: Cooper Connolly